Back To School Keepsake Album

It seems that each year the summer gets shorter and the kids head back to schooler earlier and earlier. I think this summer was truly one of the fastest summer's I can remember. We were not excited this year when it was time to get ready for school.That signaled that summer was done, vacation was over and all the responsibilities and work that come along with school was staring us in the face. Our school year is quite hectic with three kids. Crazy amounts of papers, meetings and commitments that keep us so busy we often forget to stop, take time and remember the special little things about the kids that can get lost in the shuffle.

Last year I created a little back to school album that I loved so much, and the kids did too. I decided to make it again this year. It's a perfect way to keep record of the likes, height, weight, a current photo, and what I really love...their handwriting. I had each of the kids complete their own pages so not only do you have all their information but a record of their handwriting as well.

Supplies:

Paper Salon Clear Folio, Bo Bunny Pep Rally papers, Bo Bunny Home Run papers and Cut Outs, Bo Bunny Teen Chic papers and stickers, Bo Bunny Star Struck papers and stickers, Bo Bunny DisStress Me Out stamps, Bo Bunny Chipboard, Bo Bunny Double Dot Ribbon and Buttons, Cricut Makin the Grade cartridge, Colorbox Chalk Inks, Martha Stewart Writing Pen

There are so many more ideas for what the album could contain. Here's some to get you started:

1)Take photos through the year of all the artwork you child brings home. Then make a those in a little book to showcase the artwork and projects they made throughout the school year.

2)Perhaps you have a child moving up to middle school or even high school. Add in more pages, have them take pictures of their close friends and even complete information about their friends.

3)Or maybe you have a child who loves to play sports! Turn it into an album to share their uniform pictures, team standings and record, Coach information and more!

I find these smaller albums are by far some of my favorite things I have made! Hope you give one a try too!

Julia

goodbye/farewell book

My daughter's friend is leaving her school this week. Phoebe and her friends wanted me to help them make a farewell/goodbye card for her that friends and teachers could sign. We talked about the project while pulling out the craft supplies, trying to work out what to make.

We came up with the idea of a farewell/goodbye book. A little like an autograph book, where each friend could write a little goodbye message on each page.

I covered the book, while the girls punched shapes madly from pattern paper (which by now covered the family room floor). These punched shapes were used later in the project.

Here's the cover of the book:

I've used a small Maya Road chipboard binder book as the base for this project.

The book was covered with pattern paper. When covering chipboard books I use Helmar 450 Clear Adhesive as the adhesive. This glue is fantastic for paper crafting as it doesn't buckle the paper or the chipboard as some wet adhesives do, and it is quick drying (I mean really quick).

I then used double sided tape around the book to hold a length of grosgrain ribbon in place, which will be used as the closure for the book.

The above detail was added to the cover and placed over the ribbon. A scalloped oval punch shape was added as a base for the letter stickers.

With the book finished, all that was left was the collection of "farewells" for the recipient. This part I left for the girls to arrange and to decorate their pages. The punched shapes they'd made have been used to decorate each page.

Materials:
Maya Road 4"x4" chipboard binder book
Me & My Big Ideas Chester Juniper double-sided paper
Me & My Big Ideas Glitter Alphabet Stickers (gold)
Helmar 450 Clear Adhesive
Ribbon

So next time you are creating a card for an occasion which will require several peoples' signatures, why not consider creating a little keepsake book instead.

Hope you have a great week, and thanks for visiting.

Cheers

Fiona
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